Overhead garage door and screen combination



Feb. 20, 1962 J. A. BUONO ETAL OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR AND SCREEN COMBINATION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 18, 1959 INVENTORS Jo SEPH Fl. Buo/v o R/CHHRD J MnscoL/ H T TORNE Y Feb. 20, 1962 J. A. BUONO EIAL OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR AND SCREEN COMBINATION Filed Nov. 18, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JOSEPH H. Buo/vo Feb. 20, 1962 J. A. BUONO ETAL OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR AND SCREEN COMBINATION Filed Nov. 18, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 H TTORNEY Feb. 20, 1962 J. A. BUONO ETAL OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR AND SCREEN COMBINATION FiledNov. 18, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS JosEFH H. Buo/vo R/cHHRD .I MHSCOL/ HTTOR VEY Conn.

Filed Nov. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 853,747 1 Claim. (Cl. 160-113) This invention relates to overhead doors and is directed particularly to a sectional door and screen combination for garages and the like.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a combination door and screen apparatus of the above nature, wherein either the door or the screen can be drawn down into closing relation with the door opening, selectively, the screen being for summer use to exclude insects, animals, etc. from the garage while allowing ventilation, thereby permitting the garage to be used as a more integral part of the house.

A more particular object is to provide a combination garage door and screen apparatus of the character described including separate horizontal guide rail systems for individually Supporting and guiding the sectional screen and solid doors when in overhead or withdrawn position, and a double vertical guide rail system merging with said horizontal guide rail systems for guiding and supporting either the sectional screen or the solid door selectively, in close-fitting closing relation with respect to the door opening.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a screen door and guide mechanism in kit form, which can readily be applied to standard overhead garage door systems for conversion to combined door and screen use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a combination overhead garage door mechanism of the above nature including a novel spring-actuated apparatus for permitting the screen door to be raised with a minimum of effort.

Still another obect is to provide a combination overhead garage screen and door mechanism of the above nature which will be low in cost, easy to install, simple, foolproof and effective in operation, and long wearing and durable in use.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combination overhead garage door and screen apparatus embodying the invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial view, onan enlarged scale, of one of the guide rail systems, illustrating the juncture of the upper and lower horizontal support rails with the vertical forward double guide rail,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, on a still larger scale, taken along the broken line 3-3 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 6 is a side view of a modification of the invention utilizing a difierent form of guide rails,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6 looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 6, in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of still another modification of the invention in the form of a kit applied to an existing overhead garage door with standard guide rails,

FIG. 10 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view, taken along the line 101ii of FIG. 9 in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 11 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view, taken along the line 11-11 of FIG. 9, in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 12 is an enlarged side view of one of the forward screen door roller brackets used in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 9-11,

FIG. 13 is an end elevational view of the roller bracket illustrated in FIG. 12, taken on the broken line 13-43 thereof, in the direction of the arrows, and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one of the overhead spacer brackets for joining the screen guide rails to the existing door guide rails in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 9-13.

Referring now to' the drawings, in the first form of the invention as disclosed in FIGS. 1-6, the numeral 10 designates an ordinary sectional door of the type usually used in garages and the like. The doorlt) comprises a plurality of articulated solid sections 11, pivotally linked at each side by brackets 12, each having a common guide roller 13 (see FIGS. 1-4) which may be of nylon, for example. The rollers 13 of the door 10 are guided at each side by a rail 14 having a horizontal upper portion 15 suspended at its inner end by a vertical support member 16 secured to the roof of the garage in any convenient manner.

The front end of each horizontal guide rail 14 and 18 merges into a vertical lower portion 17 at each side of the door opening in the front of the garage, and serves to position either the regular solid door 10 or the screen door S, selectively, into sealing position thereagainst.

Spaced in parallel relation below the upper portion 15 of the guide rails 14 and also supported at their inner ends by the vertical support members 16, are a pair of horizontal screen door guide rails 18.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the guide rails 14, down to the point where they are joined by the screen door guide rails 18, are bent from fiat stock, and are each formed with a fiat side portion 19, a right angular end portion 20, and a semi-circular loop portion 21 opposite said angular end portion 20. The side rollers 13 of the sectional door 11) are adapted to ride within the guide rails 14 between the angular end portions 20 and the loop portions 21 thereof.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the lower screen door guide rails 18, down to the point where they are joined with the vertical portions 17 of the guide rails 14, are each bent from flat stock having a flat intermediate portion 22 along one edge of which is formed an arcuate recess 23, extending about three-quarters of a circle, and providing a narrowed throat 24 which, as illustrated in FIG. 5, receives grooved pulley wheels 25 at each side of a hinged, sectional screen door 26.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, at the junction of the screen door guide rails 18 and the vertical portions 17 of the guide rails 14, said rails are welded together as indicated at 27 in FIG. 3. The arcuate recess portion 23 extends centrally along the back of the side portions 19 of the guide rails 14. The vertical portions 17 of the guide rails 14, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, are of a composite form which joins the door guide rails 14 and the screen door guide rails 18.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6, a short length of the loop portion 21 of the guide rail 14 is removed, opposite the point where the arcuate recess portion 23 of the screen door guide rail 18 crosses said loop portion 21 to allow passage of the grooved screen door pulley wheels 25. It will thus be apparent that either the ordinary solid door 11, or the ventilating screen door 26, selectively, can be pulled down and into tightfitting closing relation with respect to the door opening, while the other door remains on its individual overhead horizontal support rails.

Second form FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a modification of the invention, diifering only from the first form in that the screen door guide rails 28, instead of being integrally formed of bent flat stock, are fabricated from a pair of separate fiat strips 29, 29 secured in spaced parallel relation by a plurality of spaced apart U-shaped straps 3t spot-welded thereto, as indicated at 31, in FIG. 8. Similarly the vertical guide rails 32 are not integrally formed but each consists of a right angular end member 33 and a separate semi-circular loop member 34 secured in spaced relation by additional U-shaped straps 36, spot welded as indicated at 35. As illustrated in FIG. 7, in this embodiment of the invention each of the screen door wheels 36 is formed with a rectangular groove to receive the rectangular facing end portions of the sections 33, 34.

Third form FIGS. 9 through 14 illustrate another form of the invention adapted to be supplied in kit form for assembiy upon an ordinary overhead sliding garage door installation to permit a screen door to be selectively used therewith.

As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 14, four overhead T-shaped brackets 37 are provided for holding a pair of flat lower horizontal screen door guide rail members 38 in spaced parallel relation beneath each of the installed horizontal upper door guide and support-rails 39. Each bracket 37 comprises an upper clamp portion 4% shaped to fit around the existing door guide rails, and provided with set screws 41 for securing it in place therein.

Each bracket 37 further Comprises a, downwardly projecting reduced intermediate portion 42, the lower end of which is bent into a Ushaped recess 42a, to each side or which is secured the lower support rails 38, by means of bolts 38:: (FIG. 9). Additional brackets 43 (FIG. ll) support the vertical sections 44, 45 of the screen door guide rail members 38 in closely-spaced offset relation to the inside of the vertical sections 39 of the door guide rails 39.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the inner screen door guide rail section 44 is formed with an inner curved clamp jaw portion 44a for securing the bracket 43- in place with set screws 45.

Moreover, in order to adustably position the screen door 47 in close-fitting sealing relation against the door opening, adjustable brackets 48 (FIGS. 9 and 12) are provided for off-setting the screen door wheels 49 by the required amount from the door 19, said brackets comprising a pair of U-shaped members 50, 51 adjustably secured together at their arms by bolts 52 in slots 53 in the U-shaped member 51. One side of each bracket 48 is attached to the screen door 47 as by screws 54, and the other side of said bracket has journalled therein a horizontal shaft 55 carrying at one end the wheel 49. A set screw 56 in the U-shaped member 51 secures the shaft 55 in place.

Spring means is also provided for facilitating the opening and closing of the screen door 47, comprising a pair of inclined cords 57, of nylon for example, attached at each side of the uppermost section of the screen door 47 (see FIG. 9) and each connected to a reel 58 rotatably journalled on a shaft 59 within a housing 69, fixed as by bolts 61, to each of the rearmost brackets 37. Surrounding each shaft 59 within the housing 60 is a helical spring 52, one end of which is fixed with respect to said housing, and the other end of which is secured to and wound upon the reel 58, whereby, when the screen door 47 is pulled down into closing position,

, said spring will be stressed with stored energy which will aid in withdrawing said screen door when next opened.

While there has been shown and described herein, three forms in which the invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood that these forms are presented only by way of example and not in a limiting sense. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claim.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

In a garage having a rectangular front opening, the combination of a sliding door and a sliding open screen for selective storing horizontally below the ceiling of said garage, the front opening of said garage being adapted to selectively and interchangeably receive said door and said screen in vertical position, said door and said screen each consisting of a plurality of hinged articulated panels, said garage having a pair of horizontal door side guide rails supported immediately below the ceiling thereof, a pair of horizontal screen side guide rails supported in spaced parallel relation to and below said horizontal door side guide rails, said screen guide rails being narrower than and spaced farther apart than said door side guide rails, each of said horizontal door side guide rails and each of said horizontal screen side guide rails being connected to separate vertical laterally ofiset coplanar side guide rails at the front of said garage by curved merging side guide rails, said door and said screen each having outwardly extending side guide rollers of appropriate lengths and diameters fitting within their respective side guide rails, the tops of the vertical sections of said door guide rails having side openings to permit said screen rollers to pass from said curved screen guide rails into said vertical side guide rails, whereby said door and said screen may be selectively guided from the horizontal storage position at the top of said garage into close fitting vertical position in the front opening of said garage.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,072,092. Blodgett Mar. 2, 1937 2,175,323 Shephard Oct. 10, 1939 2,264,642. Rowe Dec. 2, 1941 2,329,443 Rowe Sept. 14, 1943 2,513,152 Delivuk June 27, 1950 2,703,141 McKee Mar. 1, 1955 

